After an obstacle course, people who have finally been given permanent residence are far from the end of their prison sentences: it can take months for them to arrive at what they have learned before official identification of their status, which is mandatory for return trips to the country The duty.

More than 100,000 people are currently waiting for their first permanent resident card and at least 36,000 are waiting for an extension, according to data from Immigration Canada.

Originally from Colombia, Lina Fierro was granted protection status for herself and her family, certifying that she is a full permanent resident, following an affirmative decision by the Immigration and Refugee Administration in 2020. “I submitted the paperwork in February 2021 and in March I was told the file was complete. But it’s been 18 months now and I never got it,” laments the one, who was a nurse in her country of origin.

Still, this little rectangle of plastic is of the utmost importance to them. This proof is often requested and, above all, allows her to return to the country if she has to travel abroad.

Compromised Travel

Not having it in hand has serious consequences, confirms lawyer Gabrielle Thiboutot. One of his clients, a mother from Niger, has been waiting for her permanent residence card for six months. This prevents her from visiting her three-year-old daughter, who she had to leave behind there. While waiting for the plastic card, the certificate of admission as a permanent resident is not sufficient as proof. “There is a possibility of getting authorization to return to the country if, for example, your card has been stolen [de résident permanent]. But here, too, the waiting time is very long,” explains Mr.^e Thiboutot from the Exeo company.

Le Québec c’est nous aussi, a group that defends the rights and living conditions of immigrants, has noticed some slowness in processing. The problem of card issuance is very real, agrees the organization’s vice president, Claire Launay. “I think it’s improved a bit, but you hear a lot of cases where it’s easily three, four months. »

Yamili, a Mexican who wants to keep her last name secret so as not to interfere with her immigration process, says she waited four months for her permanent resident card before finally receiving it last July. “I wrote to them [aux autorités] because I thought I had been forgotten, she said. You cannot travel without the card. »

Lawyers have also pointed this out Duty that some of their customers could not leave the country in an emergency to visit relatives or attend funerals because they had not received their card.

Immigration lawyer Stéphanie Valois gets the same response from her clients: the card takes a long time to arrive. However, the issue reported to him is when permanent residents are required to provide certain information and a photo for their card. “Many clients call me to say they have been denied the photo because it is non-compliant. I know people complain that it’s too long,” said the one who is also president of the Association of Quebec Immigration Lawyers and Advocates.

Towards a reduction in waiting?

Immigration, Citizenship and Refugees Canada (IRCC) does not acknowledge the processing delays and says the delays for issuing a permanent resident card are instead 63 days as stated on his website. The Federal Ministry explains that the calculation of the time starts when the file is complete and that the expected waiting time is based on the processing time of 80% of inquiries in the past.

“However, if an application is complex, it may take longer than the normal processing time,” said Isabelle Dubois, spokesperson for the IRCC.

She adds that IRCC has taken steps to speed up card issuance via an online portal that allows customers to submit their photo and information electronically. In addition, investments of 85 million are planned for the hiring of staff and thus the reduction of pending files in several areas of the immigration service. At 85 days, the renewal of the permanent residence card takes even longer than the creation of new cards.

M^Me Dubois confirms that a person without a permanent resident card cannot return to Canada if they leave the country. However, under certain conditions it is possible to apply for a “travel document for permanent residence” at the foreigners authority responsible for the destination country. “Even if a person is eligible, we cannot guarantee that we will process their application urgently or that they will receive their permanent residence card in a timely manner,” she admitted.

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